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Compound Exercises vs Isolation Exercises

By Mr Universe Neale Cranwell

RATE:

This article will explain the differences between a compound exercise and an isolation exercise whilst analysing each in-depth. Both compound and isolation exercises play a fundamental role in the world of bodybuilding and if you want to grow then ideally you would need to implement both.

Compound Exercises

Compound exercises are
any exercise that involves the use of more than
one major muscle group at a time. Typically, there is one
larger muscle group that ends up doing the majority of the work, and then one
or more smaller muscle groups that are recruited secondarily.

Here’s a list
of the most common compound exercises along with the primary and secondary
muscle groups each one targets:

Now, you may
be wondering why you should care about what secondary muscle groups get trained
during compound exercises. Here’s why.

You’re using a
workout schedule that will allow you to train each muscle group with an
optimal frequency, right?

Well, based on
the information, can you see how easy it would be to unknowingly train certain
muscle groups more often than you’re aiming to as a result of their secondary
use during exercises that primarily target other muscles?

Plus, there’s
also the issue of recovery. For example, you might train chest one day and
triceps the next. In reality, you’ve trained triceps 2 days in a row (because
of their secondary usage during chest exercises).

A similar
issue can easily arise with pretty much every muscle group there is if you
don’t plan carefully enough. This is another reason why I consider these
the best workout schedules. Each one pairs muscle groups up in a way that
avoids any potential problems with frequency/recovery as a result of secondary
usage during compound exercises.

The same
potential problem can exist for your planned volume per muscle
group too. This goes back to what I’ve mentioned before about
smaller muscle groups (like biceps and triceps) needing less direct volume due
to how much indirect volume they get during compound exercises.

This is all
stuff that needs to be taken into account when creating your workout routine.
Luckily, if you’ve been following along from the beginning, it’s all stuff
that has already been taken into account.

An isolation
exercise is any exercise in which only
one major muscle group is trained by itself. Typically, the
movement is done in such a way where usage of all other muscle groups is
avoided, which leaves one muscle group isolated and able to do all of the work.

Isolation Exercises

Here’s a list
of the most common isolation exercises along with the muscle it
isolates/trains:

·
If your primary goal is looks related (building muscle,
losing fat, getting “toned,” etc.), then compound exercises should comprise the
majority of your workout routine and get your primary focus. However, a
secondary focus on isolation exercises is fine and in some cases, maybe even
ideal.

·
If you are a beginner with ANY goal, then compound exercises
should comprise the majority of your workout routine. Isolation exercises
should be kept to a minimum or possibly avoided completely.